LETTERS: Monday

Painful choices necessary

Like many residents of this city, I am often irked, infuriated, or downright dumbfounded by the actions of our City Council. I understand that that there is a strong sentiment, based on such feelings, to punish Council by voting against their proposal on the ballot and for Doug Bruce’s proposal.

Nothing could be more foolish. The plain fact is that there is not sufficient revenue from traditional sources to adequately fund public safety services, let alone the services which maintain our quality of life. We have already seen some unpleasant effects of this fact; failure to support Issue 2C and to defeat Issue 300 will make things much worse, punishing not just City Council, but everyone who lives here.

A majority vote against Issue 300 will save us from a steep decline in city services. A majority vote in favor of Issue 2C will simply maintain services at this year’s level for one more year and buy us time to have the serious discussion we need to have about what we must do to keep our city livable.

The days of relying on sales tax to provide sufficient revenue to the General Fund are forever past. It has become too easy to avoid paying the city sales tax by shopping on the Internet or in the many stores that have been established outside city limits. Only an adequate property tax will provide the stable income needed to maintain city services.

It is painful that we must make these choices when so many of us are having trouble making ends meet, but we cannot go on as we were and expect Colorado Springs to remain a pleasant place to live.

I urge everyone to vote YES on 2C and NO on 300. If you really want to punish our city council members, just don’t re-elect them.

Carol C. Bowles
Colorado Springs

Some pertinent questions

Would someone explain why the 2010 City Budget has an interest  payment of $2,200,495 to COPs when they are just now being sold?  Who will own the building we are buying for the USOC after they leave the city? Why are we also paying for the utility bills for that USOC headquarters building after they move in? Why does the Stormwater Enterprise manager’s salary appear on the city budget after the agreement to not have any stormwater  expenses included in the city budget?

Robert Murphy
Colorado Springs

State’s kids need health care

In Response to “Our View: Health bill: Now the real dealing begins, October 14, 2009”:

In 1912, former President Theodore Roosevelt ran on a platform of national health insurance. Nearly 100 years later, we are still debating the details. After a century of conversation, health care reform cannot wait. Children and families are struggling now.

Colorado has the fastest growing rate of kids living in poverty in the nation, with an 85% increase over the last nine years. Children lacking financial stability often lack in many other ways critical to their development and well-being, including their health. Health insurance is a key way to ensure they have the opportunity to grow into healthy adults.

Even so, our state ranks 50th – last in the nation in children in poverty who are insured, though most uninsured kids live in families where at least one parent works full-time.  For them, the current cost of health coverage means it’s simply out of reach. As a result, these kids are 7.5 times more likely to be in less than optimal health.  When kids have coverage, their parents gain peace of mind knowing that minor problems won’t become more serious. 

Colorado kids can’t wait.  Our opportunity is now. 

Tara Trujillo
Aurora, CO

Voting yes and no

I don’t like paying taxes any more than the next person.  But, I am voting YES on 2C and NO on 300.

I am voting YES for continuing police and fire protection in a growing community. I am voting YES to support operation of parks and community centers that are important in the lives of our neighborhoods, youth, and seniors. I am voting YES for a more stable revenue source for our community to plan better for future needs. I am voting NO on efforts to run a modern city as though it was still a small town.

I am voting NO on penalizing the entire community because we don’t agree with everything City Council has done. (We get a chance to change that in the April 2011 election.)

I am saying NO to the belief that we can’t afford to pay the small increase (in my case about 10 percent over five years) in property tax to maintain our community quality of life.

Does it make sense to depend on sales tax revenue to fund city services that depend primarily on our expectations as home and property owners?  Does it make sense to expect city government to efficiently manage services we demand when they cannot depend on a regular funding stream? Does it make sense to punish the community for years to come when we have a chance to elect new members to City Council in just 18 months? 

I think it does not make sense.  That’s why I am voting for 2C and against issue 300. I encourage every thinking Colorado Springs voter to do the same.

James Moore
Colorado Springs

Column didn’t fit either

I thought the column “Limbaugh didn’t fit in”, (Oct. 15) was rather critical and sneering of Rush Limbaugh,  whom you refer to as  “the darling of the far-right movement.” You also point out that he is making $39 million in this year alone, which really ticks liberals off because their hatred and jealousy of him is all-consuming.  Rush is not politically correct and that bothers them a lot, but he is one of the very few people who are not afraid of liberals and really knows how to “get their goat.” I admire him for that more than anything.  “Liberals are OK as long as you agree with them” is my motto.

I disagree that Glenn Beck is surpassing Rush to be #1.  I like Beck a lot but he still has a long way to go to take over that spot. Of course the liberal media is trying to destroy him too, just as they try with Rush and Bill O’Reilly, Shawn Hannity, anyone who does not agree with them and Obama’s agenda.  Look what those clowns in the White House are doing, publicly going after Fox News.  They will lose that battle.

Oh BTW, the reason you could write a column critical of Donovan McNabb and get away without any controversy is it that Rush is famous and you are not.

Ruth Lindemann
Colorado Springs